Acta S.p.A. (AIM: ACTA), the clean energy products company, is pleased to announce that it has sold its first Acta Power back-up power system, only six weeks after the initial launch of this new product at the Hannover Messe. The system is to be placed on trial with a major international mobile telecoms company, at a base station located in Africa.

The Acta Power is a self-recharging back-up power system incorporating a fuel cell and low cost on-board hydrogen generation. It has been developed to meet the back-up requirements of telecom base stations in off-grid or bad grid locations, avoiding the cost and logistical barriers of hydrogen delivery to base stations in remote or inaccessible sites. This initial sale is for a system incorporating a 4kW fuel cell and 1,000 L/hr hydrogen generator, and has a list price of?35,000.

The system is due to be shipped to the client in June 2013 for commencement of the on-site trial, which is expected to run for up to three months. Subject to the successful completion of the trial Acta expects to undertake a larger-scale installation of Acta Power systems for their remote base station sites.

The Acta Power system is available with a 2kW or 4kW power output and with a 500 L/h or 1,000 L/h hydrogen generator. It includes a flexible, wireless GSM communication module for remote management, control, alarm and assistance, and incorporates an award-winning fuel cell system. The Acta Power produces compressed hydrogen directly from renewable energy and is designed to replace diesel gensets which are traditionally used to provide back-up power at remote telecom sites.

Since up to 50% of a base station's operating cost is energy and in many emerging markets operators struggle with diesel theft and difficult access to remote sites, the system can offer a cleaner and more reliable back-up solution while saving money for the mobile operator.

Paolo Bert, Chief Executive of Acta, commented:"We are pleased to have received the first order of the Acta Power so soon after its launch. The system was designed for telecommunication back-up power and we are delighted to confirm that there is a large and growing demand for such self-recharging fuel cell systems in the telecommunications sector."

Acta S.p.A. is a developer and manufacturer of a range of clean energy products. Its product line includes market-leading compact hydrogen generators (electrolysers) which produce pure, dry and compressed hydrogen in a way that is easy-to-use and completely safe, and the Company is committed to integrating its award-winning electrolysers with renewable energy sources.

Acta's cost-competitive electrolysers are based on its proprietary, inexpensive environmental catalyst and hydrogen conversion technologies. These products help overcome the barriers to the adoption of fuel cells, most notably the lack of a local hydrogen infrastructure. They are also applicable in non-fuel cell hydrogen and oxygen applications, including oxy-hydrogen gas welding systems, where the Company is generating significant commercial interest.

Acta's low-cost hydrogen generators represent a unique breakthrough in electrolyser technology. They can operate using mains power or intermittent renewable energy, and produce clean, dry hydrogen already at pressure for use in fuel cell and other applications. This unique combination of features avoids the system complexity and energy cost of further cleaning, drying and compression of the hydrogen, resulting in a simple, compact, low-cost and highly efficient system that is ideally suited for energy conversion and storage applications. In such applications, which include battery replacement and renewable energy storage, low cost and high efficiency are critical to commercial viability, while hydrogen compression is essential for the energy density of the system. No other water electrolyser currently on the market offers this combination of benefits.

Acta is focusing on delivering its products to markets with high volume demand for high-value environmental solutions (transport, back-up power, energy and leisure). It is accelerating the commercialisation of its products via partnerships with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), distributors, and agents in these sectors, and intends to drive down production costs at high volume via contract manufacturing.

Acta S.p.A. is based near Pisa, Italy, and was admitted to trading on AIM in October 2005.